Welcome to Medical School

From one student to another

Some of the best moments of my life at George’s were definitely not spent in a lecture theatre, and often not in the clear consciousness of sobriety. I strongly recommend taking the opportunity to enjoy student life every chance you get, as it only gets downhill from here. Make new friends, explore new interests and sports, travel and relish in your new freedom! 

Brass tacks – I like to think that there are two types of medical students. The first type studies to be a medical student; the laborious grind of rote memory and paper qualifications, run and gun, standing high on the decile ladder, able to recite all structures that pass through the superior orbital fissure. Then there are the medical students who study to be doctors – judicious balance of practical and fundamental knowledge, communication and teamwork, and most importantly, espousing compassion. While the vast majority of us do not sit on extremes of the dichotomy, it is important to remember the latter. All your acquired knowledge will sediment unless it is used, and used well. I can say with all honesty that if you stay true to the goal of developing yourself towards being a doctor as opposed to simply studying blindly, academic success will naturally follow.

Here are some resources on this website that might be applicable to you:

• First and Second Year MBBS5, and First Year MBBS4: Preclinical Notes series (Semester 1 through 4), and Preclinical Anatomy.

• Other courses: As I was a medical student, unfortunately there is not much content tailored for other courses. You might find the IFP notes brief, as they were written while I too was a fresher. The Preclinical Anatomy notes might be more useful to you. 

It won’t be long before you’re coming to the examinations period, when you face your first beast; one of the biggest questions asked is how to prepare for examinations. Here is some advice for the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed amongst us:

Things getting tough? There is always help!

If you feel like things are getting heavy, or are going through a difficult period in your life, consider booking an appointment with the SGUL counselling service - They have many appointments available, and can see you sooner than you think. Have a look on SGUL Counselling Service; In addition to mental health services, they are a good first-port-of-call for linking your needs with what the university might  be able to provide and accommodate. If that isn't for you, consider seeing your GP, who can put you in touch with other counselling or therapy. It is always important to look after yourself, and looking out for your friends and peers, through this long and arduous journey ahead!

Prepare Early

While first year is definitely the time for you to wear your shabbiest toga or most elaborate Halloween costumes, save some time to get ahead of your backlog. IFP might not count for anything in the grand scheme of things, but it sets the tone for the rest of your academic career. Also, do not neglect your PPD or PSAH business – While I do agree that the prescriptive nature of topic is painfully rote, having to retake because of something is stupid as this is really not worth it at all.

Here are some of the books I've used in making my notes, which you might find useful to your own revision as well; They are usually well-stocked in the library, and some of them are stocked as e-books as well. See SGUL Library E-books for more details. 

(These are personal recommendations and not paid endorsements. Also, I promise you Rohen's Photographic Atlas, the one in the top left corner, is not an erotic novel; I found it really useful as it contains mostly photographs of real cadaveric dissection, almost as if you were taking home the DR with you) 

Don’t overdo it, though

Do not fall for the arms race and constant out-gunnery of others. Everyone has their own pace of learning, try to focus on your own process and ignore the pressure from others. Give yourself a break here and there, have a good holiday when you have the opportunity to, and keep a life out of medicine while you still have it.

Corpus Scientia — Know the basics

Don’t sweat the small stuff until you have a strong grasp of everything else. Especially as a preclinical student, the name of the game is having a strong grasp of fundamental knowledge. Know your physiology like an anaesthetist, know your anatomy like a surgeon. Your knowledge of the basics will serve as your brick walls in case of pinniped encounters. 

Cor Sapientia — Keep an eye on your clinical manner

While the Year 2 OSCE is known to be quite gentle, it is always worth investing early in your clinical skills. Take the opportunity to practise them while you’re on early-years clinical experiences. Borrow a colleague. Take your clinical skills sessions seriously. Be stingy like Scrooge, and the OSCEs will come to haunt you next Christmas.

Even then, Failure is a Fundamental Part of Learning 

I know it is a bit defeatist to think in such a way, but in the event that the stars do not quite align for you, get back on that horse and keep going. The best doctors know adversity and grow callouses from it.

One more thing...

Remember what you're here for; You are studying to be a doctor, and not studying to be a medical student. Grades are nice, deciles are pretty, but always look at where your feet are actually taking you while chasing your laurels. 

One for the Future: Intercalating 

A very frequently asked question is whether or not to intercalate. Obvious pros and cons aside, some of the finest bits include having the opportunity to see what the biomedical students have been complaining about this whole time (top tip: they were totally right), the chance to pursue something completely different from medicine that is of interest to you and getting to pay through your nose at graduation for robes and seats. 

Intercalating provides a chance for you to see medicine from a different perspective - to look behind the guidelines and see the cogs of science turning furiously, to understand how to evaluate evidence critically, and to integrate this into practice. Some courses are more rigorous than others, but I personally think it worth slogging it out to get your money's and time's worth.

If intercalating is for you, and if you're opting for the internal option, I would recommend intercalating between the second and third year, and the jarring gap between clinical years if you were to do it later will make returning to medicine a struggle. If you do plan on intercalating externally, which I highly recommend, be aware that some institutions have their own students intercalate after their first clinical year (Ie, T year). Intercalating externally is a great opportunity to experience a different education culture, work as part of a team in world-leading laboratories, as well as a different selection of alcoholic shenanigans at another student union bar.